In the 21st century, educators should embrace essential soft skills so they leave a lasting impression on their students.
While I seldom put up any of my training engagements on major social media platforms for some reasons, I knew just after I responded to the last interesting question thrown during my insightful session with the mind molders of The Ambassadors Schools, Ota, that I would be taking an exception to this rule.
A typical, regular facilitator understands that some seminars go as planned and wonderful and some just don’t. But I think I hit the bull’s-eye with the caption and probably did justice to it. At least from the usual greetings, remarks, compliments, and requests for presentation slides that follow such delivery afterward.
I feel compelled to share what my perspective is on the Essential Soft Skills for 21st Century Educators, which I shared with the scholar breeders of the great Ambassadors Schools, Ota
Times and the world have changed quite notably, and if educators are going to preserve their relevance, optimize performance, and produce results that are comparable with global education standards, practices, and outcomes, then developing competencies in soft skills applicable to the profession is not negotiable.
Subject expertise is no longer enough! How you effectively deploy your specialized knowledge for better understanding and mastery by the ‘Generation Z’ learners is now very key and of great essence.
The hard skill (subject area) typically answers the WHAT question while the soft skills answer the HOW question, and if the latter is not in place, the former may be worthless and fruitless in the end. Soft skills are the drivers of your hard skills, and lacking them may mean getting stuck.
While I deliberately streamlined my thoughts to the teaching profession, the above facts regarding the importance of soft skills for professionals in the workplace cannot be overlooked or overemphasized in any field of discipline.
According to a thorough, joint academic research conducted by three reputable institutions in the United States, namely Harvard University, Stanford Research Center, and the Carnegie Foundation, it was discovered and concluded that having well-developed soft skills and people skills accounts for 85% of job success, while technical and/or knowledge skills account for only 15% of job success, especially in the twenty-first century.
What does that tell you? Hard skills may get you a job, but soft skills will keep you there and keep you going and thriving. That way, investment in your soft skills competencies becomes of paramount importance, especially as it relates to your field of endeavor.
What are soft skills?
Soft skills are character traits and interpersonal skills that characterize a person’s relationships with other people. Sociologists may use the term “soft skills” to describe a person’s emotional intelligence quotient (EQ) as opposed to their intelligence quotient (IQ).
These 7 essential soft skills for success are:
Leadership skills: Leadership skills are the strengths and abilities individuals show that help regulate processes, guide initiatives and steer their employees toward the accomplishment of objectives. Other leadership traits include trustworthiness, confidence, responsibility and innovativeness.
Teamwork: Teamwork skills are the characteristics and abilities that allow you to cooperate with other people during discussions, projects, gatherings, or other collaborations. Having teamwork skills is reliant upon your capacity to communicate well, effectively listen and be dependable and genuine.
Communication abilities: Communication skills are the abilities you utilize when giving and getting various types of information. A few examples are active listening to decipher what the speaker is saying. This is the key to being a great communicator. Speaking, observing, and empathizing are other communication skills.
Problem-Solving Skills: Problem-solving abilities allude to our capacity to tackle issues as they arise in a powerful and opportune manner with no impediments. It includes having the option to distinguish and define the issue, providing alternative ways, assessing and choosing the best other option, and executing successfully.
Work ethic: A work ethic is a bunch of moral standards an employee applies in their work and envelopes a significant number of these attributes: character, commitment, dependability, uprightness, productivity, discipline, collaboration, among others.
A worker that upholds the goals and values of the organization exhibits a strong work ethic as well as performing your job to the best of your ability. It implies focusing on delivering on assigned tasks with timeliness in mind. Professionalism in attitude and appearance is the hallmark of such employees.
Flexibility/Adaptability: Flexibility is the Thinking Skill that focuses on a person’s ability to adapt to new situations, improvise, and shift strategies to meet different types of challenges. Simply said, it is the ability to change (or be changed) to fit changed circumstances.
Interpersonal Skills: Interpersonal skills are the skills we use daily when we communicate and collaborate with other people, both independently and in gatherings. Though they include a wide range of skills, especially communication skills such as listening and effective speaking, They also include the ability to control and manage emotions.
One would not be exaggerating by saying that interpersonal skills are foundational for life success. Individuals that possess solid interpersonal skills tend to function admirably with others, inclusive of groups or gatherings, officially and casually. For them, effective communication occurs on a regular basis with others, regardless of whether family, associates, friends, clients, or customers. They likewise have better connections at home and at work.
You can work on your interpersonal skills by fostering your consciousness of how you collaborate with others and rehearsing your skills.
In all, I’m happy the astute intellectuals of The Ambassadors Schools got some real value from what I shared with them, and by the questions, insights, and contributions from the audience, they are more than willing to develop and apply these skills as they go back to the classrooms for the new academic session. Thanks for reading this far. Keep developing your soft skills.
Cheers.
image source: istock photos
